Standie TTT with rear ramp

[RogHodge]

Dave-
My 2 cents (actually about $3.62, with the looming inflation it could be much more)
Interesting design. I will enjoy watching your project unfold. One thing you will read here over and over and over…. Build lighter- Don’t over build- I didn’t need to go that heavy etc, etc, etc. 1x2’s with 1/8â€

[synaps3]

Aaron -- I'd love to have a drop frame, and use a torsion axle, but cost is just too much of a constraint. I have no access to any sort of welder, or even a garage for that matter, so any mods in the metal take place using a hacksaw, dremel, and a 6-pack of beer.

Roger- I'm set on the profile. I think it looks awesome. I have the internal wall supports bolstered in a square where the angle at the back begins, to add rigidity. I'll definitely skin it with 1/8" to cut weight though.

The rear door is just a thick piece of ply with two support struts -- It'll weigh less than a large door (I think). In any case, it will be close, and I don't want to have to buy an aluminum ramp. They're not too cheap.

A quick update on the build -- the chassis is COMPLETE and painted and wired. It's a Harbor Freight 4x8, with a LED light kit I got from a friend who had spares. I used Rustolem black glossy metal paint on the chassis, and silver on the rims.

I picked up some windows off of CraigsList last night for $40. I'll have to post new pictures with the new windows mocked in when I get a chance. I'll be down in Florida, then up in PA for the next month or so (leaving the 12th), so progress will be halted until after the holidays.

[synaps3]

I thought about the design a lot, and I've made many improvements that users suggested... More feedback on my design is encouraged!

New profile:

Simplifying the roofline will make the whole thing much, much lighter. It will keep it simpler too.

Interior view:

Counters on either side, bed with HUGE storage area underneath. This revision has a bathroom with shower mocked in, but it is small (2'x3'), so might be thrown out...

Rear "gull" door open:

Partially inspired by the Roswell build in the Hall Of Fame. (http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=54903), I think a gull door would look awesome, and allow me to keep the tapered rear edge.

So a rundown of the major design changes...

- Got rid of side door, as advised. It will make things lighter.
- Rear ramp / door was dropped in favor of a light, non-structural gull-wing. The gull-wing door will probably be a single piece of 1x8 with a 1x2 substructure, keeping everything light.
- Windows added
- Counters extended
- Bed with storage bin added
- Spare tire added to back

There will be ~ 300lbs of gear in the front bin when towing, if not more. If the tongue weight is fine, I'll leave the spare tire on the back-- otherwise it'll go on the front. Since there is no traditional galley in the back, the axle will stay where it is.

All substructure will be 1x2's, to cut weight. All skin (inner walls, outer walls, roof) will be 1/8" plywood, or possibly MDO if I can find it.

Anyone see any problems with my direction so far?

[starleen2]

Now back to that side door problem – Perhaps put a small door up front on the side (like a teardrop door) for a second entry. The gull wing door concept for entry and exit may get a little tiring after several uses – especially if you need just a quick entry for an item. Imagine having to pull the door down from the inside every time you bedded down for the night? A small side door will give you quick access to sleeping quarters without having to unload the scooter (if it’s loaded). The gull wing rear hatch is a cool idea

[M B Hamilton]

Structurally the rear of this design should be quite robust. Good work. And I like pop-up doors as well, used them on three different projects. Side benefit, they keep the weather off you head.

Piece of advice, if you're 50 or over, keep the potty room. If younger, you'll find out for yourself later.

I like Starleen's point about a little teardrop door up forward in the sleeping area being useful if you intend to have the scooter in while you sleep. You could make that one a pop-up as well and stay with the theme.

[synaps3]

I'm sure we'll have the scooter out when we're sleeping. The scooter will take up the entire middle corridor, with no room to spare... Sleeping with a gas-smelling scooter seems a bit dangerous too.

The idea of a spare door intrigues me though. The only place I can see me installing one would be right over the bed. I'm a bit paranoid about getting dirt / sand / mud / etc in the mattress, but I guess the doors opening straight to a mattress seem to work fine on teardrops. I'll have to think about the spare door -- it might be an add-on after a few trips.

How does one go about mounting the gas struts for a gull door? It needs to be able to "float" open if I unlatch it, and pull closed when I need it to.

[M B Hamilton]

There actually is a formula in one of the discussion threads here about location points for struts. The door end of the strut is mounted quite close to the hinge. That has the added benefit of having the strut reach maximum compression while swinging the door closed, and for the last part of the closing arc the strut is again expanding. The means the strut provides some closing force against the door in it's fully closed position.

The seals on gas struts tend to dry out and leak if they aren't used often (it re-lubes the seals). Having the cylinder upside down when the door is in the closed position is supposed to extend their lives. At least that's what I've been told, I always used spring-pops instead.

[JNV]

I just registered on this forum and stumbled on this build. I have been drawing (on paper) up plans for something like this; also to haul a scooter. I was thinking though of making the frame out of steel then having a custom tarp maker make the cover for it. It will look more like a pop up tent than a tear drop but it will be rigid, and light. I am also thinking of using the same type of trailer but making it a bit taller to haul it with a Jeep and possibly pull over light trails.
What do you all think of something like that; rigid frame with cavas / tent cover? Good or no good? Or perhaps half hard sides (for aerodynamic purpose / pulling purpose) and half expandable (pull out type) soft sides?
Keep in mind I have never built a teardrop so I do not know what I am talking about. Just offering my point of view on what I will try to build within the next few months.

[Conestoga]

... I was thinking though of making the frame out of steel then having a custom tarp maker make the cover for it. It will look more like a pop up tent than a tear drop but it will be rigid, and light.

Hi JNV, welcome to the forum. I'm new here too.

Does your design idea have the textile parts protected until you stop & pop?

My first idea for a lightweight trailer was similar, custom frame and textile cover. However three heartbeats later I was imagining going down the road and looking back to see flapping, gaping holes, and my gear all over the road.

Something like kevlar might be ok, but that would be pricey to experiment with. There seem to be a number of kayak builders on the forum, and their techniques would good to look at.

I think we should start a new thread and discuss it there!

[angib]

Stopping the fabric from flapping and flogging itself to death will be quite hard - you would certainly need to build in a tensioning system so you could strap the cover down taut.

I can't help thinking that it would be less cost and work to build a solid cover. The simplest idea is to build a open-bottom box and just fit it over a platform trailer. Hinge the cover at the front end and fit a pair of suitably-sized gas struts to hold it up and just lift the whole cover up to, say, 45 degrees to get the vehicle in and out.

If the cover is built like a teardrop and not like a house, the weight to lift won't be that great and it will be both easier to use and more durable than fabric.

Andrew

[JNV]

The flapping is a big problem. I guess the more sensible approach would be to just use a big dome tent right next to or attached to the teardrop if I really want more room. Or Combine the teardrop with a roof top tent and have a loft look / feel to it. The teardrop could house the scooter or other cargo, plus galley and (big maybe) bathroom/shower combo, and sleeping in the rooftop tent.

[Cliffmeister2000]

Sorry for my late entry into this thread. I had a 2004 Honda CR/V when I bought my first teardrop, and the tow rating was 1,500lbs / 150lbs tongue weight. Not much, but a dramatic improvement over 1,000 / 100.

[synaps3]

Cliff -
Yea, the first-gen CR-Vs are so underpowered that it is pitiful. My fiancee's 2003 Civic has a bigger engine than my CR-V.


JNV -
The idea of a tent of some sort is interesting, but will never hold up on the highway. Someone on this forum at some point made a TTT out of duct tape, tarps, and PVC. They took it on one trip, had tons of trouble with flapping, and I don't think we heard from them since.

The best option for a lightweight solution that would be a compromise between traditional and fabric would be fiberglass-only construction. Weld a rigid aluminum or build a rigid wood frame, coat with thin fabric, then glass it until it is rock-solid. Unfortunately, cost becomes a HUGE constraint because glass and epoxy gets really expensive on a TTT. To give you an idea, I'll probably spend as much on epoxy alone as I did on the chassis or frame and MDO.

A pop-up might work okay, but pop-ups (unless they are solid, non-canvas) always have a limited lifetime. Many campers here built their teardrops to leave the realm of leaky, easily-ripped pop-ups.

If you want me to modify my design to accomodate a different size of motorcycle, or fit on a different frame, let me know and I can sketchup something together for you..


M B Hamilton -
I'll have to search for that thread... How bad is the lifetime on gas struts? I might just want to use a powered linear actuator (though that might kill my budget).



No progress since my last post, unfortunately. We had a REALLY cold week, and it's finally getting warmer. I've decided to leave out the bathroom / shower -- wherever we go will have a shower, and I can always add it in later... The toilet will be a bucket. We used a bucket for a year when we used to live in a frat house (trust me, it was cleaner than the bathroom).

[synaps3]

Tonight I'm going to try to get the base board and frame done... Then, I can finally do a few tests to see how tall I can make the TTT and still fit in the parking garage at our apartment complex. The "maximum height" is listed at 8' 10", but my CB whip hits on the roof occasionally (and it is definitely not that high off the CR-V). I should have some pics for you guys tomorrow.

[Cliffmeister2000]

You might want to watch the video on this For Sale thread for some interesting ideas!

http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=34762